Chinese youth discover Mazu culture through modern products and experiences
Chinese young people are finding new ways to engage with the country’s traditional Mazu culture, including through themed blind boxes that combine cultural heritage with contemporary design.
The Mazu blind-box series was jointly developed by the Mazu Ancestral Temple in Meizhou and a Shanghai-based cultural creative company. The “China Chic” products have generated sales of more than 100 million yuan.
China’s most influential sea goddess
Inspired by legends surrounding nine auspicious artefacts and symbols associated with Mazu, China’s most influential sea goddess, designers created five different figures representing wealth, career success, academic achievement, safety and the expression of wishes. Each surprise box also contains a small “sacred cup”, allowing mainly young buyers to combine the excitement of opening the boxes with an introduction to Mazu beliefs, and related customs.
According to Chen Lin, a staff member at the Mazu Ancestral Temple on Meizhou Island in Putian, Fujian Province, some young consumers initially bought the blind boxes because of their distinctive designs but subsequently became interested in Mazu culture.
Traditional Mazu costume photoshoots
Young people can also explore the culture on Meizhou Island through activities including traditional Mazu costume photoshoots, Mazu-themed theatre performances and street tours accompanied by performers portraying different characters.
Meanwhile, students from the Music College of Putian University attend Mazu Festival performances twice a year, while young researchers at the university’s Mazu Culture Digital Laboratory are building a digital archive of Mazu temples and palaces worldwide to support research and help preserve the intangible cultural heritage.
The activities reflect how young people in China are bringing traditional cultural heritage to life in new, more accessible and immediate ways.